Responsibility
by Happi Zebra
Summary: One shot. Abusefic. Deathfic. Angel needs control; so much so that she's taking over the world, how will Max stop her? I'm really hating on max in these fics, sorry to Max fans... not really idc if you don't like it .


Angel huddled in on herself, tucked up in her curtained off bed, surrounded by her familiar soft toys. A creak sounded outside the doorway to her and Nudge's room and Angel's heart lurched.

"N-Nudge?" Silence greeted her quavering plea. She pulled back the curtain a fraction. Nudge wasn't there. Angel remembered Nudge curled up asleep after watching tv. Sleeping on the couch. Fang offered to carry her into her room. Not hard. It wasn't far and she wasn't heavy.

"No. Just let her sleep there, I wouldn't want you to wake her," Max said – sounding so reasonable, so legitimate. Like she actually cared. So Nudge wasn't there. Not that that had ever saved her before. Nudge slept like the dead. Angel knew. She'd read her mind to be sure. That creak came again. She knew what it meant. Ever since Jeb had left she'd known what it meant.

Max slipped into the room with the barest rustle of cloth, "Hey, Angel, how's my baby girl?" So reasonable, just like before, like when Jeb had been around, it was exactly the same… but now it struck fear into the very core of Angel's being. _Please, Max, don't do this to me… don't hurt your baby girl_, Angel pleaded in her mind, wishing Max were the mind reader instead of her. So Max could hear what she was too terrified to say, not that it would change anything, God, how she hoped it wouldn't change anything. It was bad enough that she couldn't say the words, couldn't say no, it would hurt just that much more if Angel thought for a moment that all this could end, that she might be free from it all if only she could say the word.

Max's mind was a jumble as usual, but soon it would all drop away, all the confusion would fall away and she'd stop thinking, stop caring, stop questioning, and that's when the bad stuff would start…

Angel jolted awake. Her eyes burned and tears traced their way down her cheeks. She swallowed hard and tried ineffectually to stifle a sob. It escaped and she heard a faint stir as Gazzy woke or turned over in his sleep. Angel picked herself up and went to the window, stepping out onto the balcony to look out over the city she'd claimed control off. Her plans were far reaching; she'd own the world someday. Gazzy said she needed the control after being stripped of it for so long, Angel couldn't say she disagreed, he was probably right.

"Angel?" Gaz called out, his voice hoarse and slow from sleep. He worried. Too much. She could read it in his mind, in his face, the sleepless nights _he_ had.

"Just a nightmare, I'll go back to bed in a minute," she answered. She wouldn't, of course, tonight was the night. Her dreams had slowly become more and more in-tune with reality, becoming prophetic, then fated; she'd tried to stop some things happening, some dreams, but nothing stopped them. What she dreamed came to pass. This dream was an old one. Tonight she felt the mind that went with that dream, the reenactment of it would happen soon. Gazzy would fall back asleep… now. He'd be okay.

"Angel," her voice said softly, that voice, just like she remembered it.

"Max," Angel breathed, turning in the dark to face her mother-figure, "It's been a long time,"

"You've done well for yourself," Max said, acknowledgement in her voice, "After what I did to you," Angel said nothing, waiting, she knew their script by heart, but Max didn't know that. "Jeb sent me; he says you'll take over the world,"

Angel gave a cynical smile, "He'd have been right if he hadn't interfered now," Max climbed down off the banister, Angel could hear the fragmented thoughts, she knew what was coming, knew it so well she didn't even make a sound, didn't feel the fear played over and over in her dreams. She had to be careful, because she didn't know if Gazzy would be hurt if he heard her and woke, she couldn't let him wake in time.

"I'm so sorry, Angel, I shouldn't be doing this to you, I'm the one who made you this way, but I have to take responsibility for that, you know?"

Max taking responsibility for something? Yeah, right, she'll probably blame Gazzy if Nudge, Iggy or Fang asks. Or some unknown attacker. Who cares? Won't matter then. Max came closer, put her hand gently on Angel's thin shoulder, _this was the part she really hated_, Max touching her again, couldn't she have died without ever feeling Max's touch? She deserved that at least, didn't she?

Angel closed her eyes. This part really hurt. Max's lips touched hers. The horror and repulsion sprang to life, throwing up memories and fears and panic, make her stop, make her leave Angel alone, _stop, stop, stop_. Max's hand tightened painfully on her shoulder and Angel felt her resolve harden into a solid ball of… hate? Not really, Max didn't hate her; Max's emotions were too far removed from Angel's own for her to fully understand them. Maybe she just didn't want to understand, she wouldn't blame herself for that though. Angel sensed more than felt Max move, her other arm slipping up behind her, the cold press of metal against her neck, scraping softly against her skin. Angel shivered and waited. Max's lips left hers, she breathed out long and slow, exhaling gently in a whispered word.

"Sorry." Angel heard the intent loud and clear, the signal 'pull the trigger,' the fear of a loud noise, but she didn't feel anything. It was too quick for that.


End file.
